*DC says doctor mis-behaved
Excelsior Correspondent
REASI, Oct 20: Entire Medical staff of District Hospital, Reasi today went on indefinite strike after a senior doctor of the hospital was detained at Police Station, Reasi for more and one and half hours on the verbal orders of the Deputy Commission, Prasanna Ramaswamy.
Reports said that problem started after Dr Ashwani Kumar Bhagat (Senior Consultant, Ortho) was deputed for providing treatment to the DC at Election Counting Centre, established in the premises of Govt Degree College, Reasi, hardly 100 mts away from the Hospital. After providing some treatment, the Deputy Commissioner asked the doctor to stay at the Counting Centre till the counting process is over by 3 or 4 pm.
The doctor pleaded that he was attending OPD at the Hospital and about 100 patients are waiting in the hospital for him. He came there on the directions of the Medical Superintendent Dr Pritam Singh to provide treatment and would like to resume his duty at the OPD. And moreover, he was from Ortho Unit and there was no official order as such. This irked the Deputy Commissioner and he allegedly abused the Medico and called police directing them to arrest the doctor for not obeying him. The police packed the doctor Police Gypsy in full public view at the Counting Centre and placed him under detention for more than an hour at `Thana’.
This news spread like wild fire in Reasi town. The Medical staff came to know about the alleged arrest of the doctor. The Medical Superintendent and other doctors reached Police Station and asked about the offence or any FIR. They told that on the orders of DC, the doctor has been detained. The Medical staff then went to the DC and took up the matter with him, but the later refused to take his orders back.
Annoyed over the behaviour of the Deputy Commissioner, the entire Medical staff at the District Hospital struck work and went on strike at around 11.30 am. They exempted the emergency unit from the purview of the strike. The doctors demanded that they will not call off their strike till the DC Reasi tenders written apology for his act of high handedness.
Dr Ashwani when contacted on phone claimed that he was attending OPD in the District Hospital Reasi. There was huge rush of patients. Then he received message from Med Suptd, Dr Prittam Singh to attend DC Reasi at counting centre. He went there along with some equipment in an ambulance and an assistant. He said the DC asked him to stay there till the entire counting process is over. ” I requested the DC that he can’ not afford to stay there at the cost of over 100 poor patients waiting for him outside OPD and he should be allowed to go, and moreover, he was not a Physician. The DC started abusing me, telling that he was District Head and how he dares to refuse his orders. Then he asked a police officer there to arrest me and take to police station. I was insulted abused and packed in Police Gypsy like criminal and taken to police station and illegally detained for about one and half hours. After this episode entire hospital staff went on indefinite strike as mark of protest. Many locals of the town have also come forward in support of our strike and unjustified act on the part of DC,” he added.
Meanwhile, SSP Reasi, Nisha Nathyal, Addl DC, ASP and other officers continued negotiations with striking Medical staff to call off strike but the issue could not be resolved till late evening.
When contacted DC Reasi, Mr Prasanna said that the doctor was called to the counting centre after tie between two candidates in one of the wards as the tempers were running high there. He said the doctor refused to perform duty out rightly and started misbehaving. Therefore, no option was left before him except to call the police and hand over the doctor to them.
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